homemade marshmallow fondant

How to make homemade marshmallow fondant, a delicious marshmallow fondant recipe as an alternative to traditional fondant.

how to make marshmallow fondant

Marshmallow fondant is a fantastic alternative to traditional fondant. While I’ve always proclaimed the virtues of store-bought fondant (it’s ready made and easy to use), I’m not fond of the taste. So finally…. I tried my hand at this homemade marshmallow fondant recipe. I’ll likely never give up store-bought, but I’ll admit, marshmallow fondant is easy to make, easy to use, and did taste better. I still find fondant too sweet for my taste, but I can’t begrudge the stuff. It is made of sugar and marshmallows after all.

fondant vs. buttercream frosting

In my years of blogging about cookie decorating and other fun food craft, and interacting with other bakers and cookie decorators and cake decorators, it’s clear that in taste tests, buttercream frosting usually wins over fondant. I’m not sure it’s even the taste, necessarily, but the texture that I prefer. (For a great buttercream frosting recipe, click here.) However, for the decorating potential, fondant just can’t be beat. The smooth, perfect surface, the moldability, the versatility, it really is essential. For the best of both worlds, I often decorate cakes and cupcakes with buttercream frosting and add fondant toppers in small amounts, for example, as I did with these rainbow cupcake toppers.

Grease a microwave safe bowl with Crisco. Pour 1 cup marshmallows in bowl. Pour 1 tablespoon water and 1 teaspoon extract over marshmallows. Heat in microwave until marshmallows puff a bit, about 20 to 30 seconds. Stir well until fully melted and smooth and runny. Put confectioner’s sugar in the bowl of a standing mixer with the flat beater (I greased the beater with Crisco. I’m sure a handheld electric mixer will work, too). Pour marshmallow mixture into the sugar and blend on low speed. Clean marshmallow bowl and repeat with another cup of marshmallows, 1 tablespoon water, and 1 teaspoon extract, melted and stirred. Pour into sugar and continue blending until dough forms. Knead briefly on a surface dusted with confectioner’s sugar. Wrap in plastic and let sit about half an hour. NOTE: I did the marshmallows in two batches because I thought one batch would be enough, but the dough was too dry. Next time I make this, I’ll try melting the marshmallows all at once.

how to color fondant:

Simply take about an egg size wad of fondant, add a few drops of coloring (start with one or two and add more as desired), and knead very well. A warning if you have an event to attend where non-stained hands are important: your hands will get stained. You can use the concentrated pastes from the craft store, though I prefer Americolor soft gel pastes food coloring. The colors I used here are: Electric Green, Sky Blue, Orange, and Electric Pink.

TIP: The fondant should be pliable and easy to handle. If it gets too sticky, let it rest at room temperature for 15 minutes or so.

Roll fondant about 1/4 inch thick between two pieces of wax paper (dust with confectioner’s sugar if sticky). Using the knife or pastry scraper and a ruler, cut out strips. For each pop, you’ll need two strips, one 1/2 inch by 4 inches and one 1/2 inch by 6 inches. Dab light corn syrup on top of both strips to help everything stick. Lay the smaller strip on top of the larger strip, centered. Start from one end and roll into a coil. Insert lollipop stick where outer strip ends and set aside on wax paper to dry.

homemade marshmallow fondant

Ingredients

2 cups mini marshmallows

2 tablespoons water

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 pound confectioner's sugar

Crisco or vegetable shortening

Instructions

Grease a microwave safe bowl with Crisco. Pour 1 cup marshmallows in bowl. Pour 1 tablespoon water and 1 teaspoon extract over marshmallows. Heat in microwave until marshmallows puff a bit, about 20 to 30 seconds. Stir well until fully melted and smooth and runny. Put confectioner's sugar in the bowl of a standing mixer with the flat beater (I greased the beater with Crisco. I'm sure a handheld electric mixer will work, too). Pour marshmallow mixture into the sugar and blend on low speed. Clean marshmallow bowl and repeat with another cup of marshmallows, 1 tablespoon water, and 1 teaspoon extract, melted and stirred. Pour into sugar and continue blending until dough forms. Knead briefly on a surface dusted with confectioner's sugar. Wrap in plastic and let sit about half an hour. NOTE: I did the marshmallows in two batches because I thought one batch would be enough, but the dough was too dry. Next time I make this, I'll try melting the marshmallows all at once.

I'm sure you could do that (I've mixed icing colors that way), the dough hook should be strong enough for the tougher consistency. I've never simply because I only mix tiny batches of color at a time, so it was less of a hassle to knead. They sell gloves for cake decorators, though. I think I even saw them at Michaels maybe?? Not sure how they are different from plain rubber gloves, but I thought about getting some…

I am going to have to say that I have done months of research on the easiest and better way to make homemade fondant and have been unsuccessful! But I have made your fondant recipe today with an extra doze of the marshmallows… and it is the best fondant I have ever made! Thank you so much for being that break threw!!!!

Oh, sniffle, thank you Anonymous! I have to give credit to all the marshmallow fondant makers before me (see the links above!) But I'm also going to try and add a wee bit more marshmallows next time, too!

My daughter is very fond of marshmallow and fondant, she uses to make it …Your recipe looks so easy and tasty.She read it and wants to give it a try… thanks a lot for sharing..Hope you would like to spare a little time on me at

I tried to make this by myself. It didn't work out too well. I've never made it before, but all my family loved it! thanks for the recipe. I will try again. (P.S. I put it on a cake and it worked really well)

Hi Yolly,
Yep! You should be able to use a double boiler, just stir constantly. Instead of a double boiler, I set a stainless steel bowl on top of a gently simmering ban of water. I even prefer it that way sometimes! When you transfer to a bowl for mixing, just make sure to grease the bowl and the beaters well with Crisco. Hope this helps, thanks!

Hi Tracy, not a dumb question at all!! The opposite. So the opposite (actually, have a little section in my book exactly on this). Fondant is a kind of bizarre texture, PlayDoh like. Left to dry, it will stiffen enough to handle, pack, ship, etc. if it sets a few hours. It won’t dry rock hard like gum paste though. And the surface stiffens well enough to decorate. You can paint with food coloring, use edible writers, etc. on the surface easily.

My mind has been running crazy w/ ideas ever since I discovered your site. I love your ideas & you are so crafty! =) Thank-you for sharing your knowledge with all of us. I’ve always been scared of fondant, but I am ready (& excited!) to try this MM fondant. How long will it last, & should it be refrigerated? I’d like to experiment now & use some on my daughter’s b-day cake in a couple weeks. Would it last?

Hi Kelli,
Thanks so much! MM fondant does last quite a while and a couple weeks should be fine. But it can dry out easily, so wrap it super duper well. I wrap in SAran wrap, then TWO freezer-safe Ziplocs, kept at room temperature. If it gets a little stiff when you go to use it, keep kneading it and the warmth of your hands should help to get it pliable again. Another note since this is your first time working with it, it should be EASILY pliable. The flip side of dry fondant is sticky fondant. If it gives you least bit of trouble, it’s too sticky, and let it sit uncovered at room temp til it’s EASILY pliable. I use plenty of confectioner’s sugar on my hands if it’s sticky (even if it makes it look dusty, you can wipe it off later).

I have only used the Satin Ice brand of fondant for cakes. I was this and am super excited about it. I live in Florida is this just as easy to roll out and use like Satin Ice and also does the humidity effect. Thanks

It is, Tammy, though you may need a bit more confectioner’s sugar. Satin Ice is the best brand, so this may be just a wee bit less malleable than the fondant. I’d start with small cakes and see if it works for you. Also, during out crazy humid summers, I’ll sometimes run a fan in the kitchen to try and help.

I have been searching high and low. I found the same recipe you have here. Yes it’s a bit sweet but taste alot better than the box stuff. There are also other types you can make with out marshmallows just keep looking.

Not a stupid question at all! I’ve actually had to measure out the box and bag to figure it out myself! A 1-pound box of confectioner’s sugar has just under 4 cups (I think it works out to about 3 3/4 cups). I buy the 2 pound bags which have just under 8 cups in it, because I use tons of powdered sugar.

omg, I *love* your site!! everyone is super cute and I just want to make everything on here all at once! it’s been a practice in self-control 🙂

I have been working on my dayghter’s first birthday for the past couple months, and am about to start putting the pieces together (CandyLand theme on 12/30). I’m going to try my hand at the mm fondant for her smash cake and possibly her “to share” cake, and I’m just wondering what the yield is for the above recipe. thanks in advance! ~Jenn.

Thank Jean! One batch should be enough for decorations. And one batch should be enough to cover a cake. If you’re covering the cake AND making decorations, I’d start with one (depending on how big the cake and how many decorations), but be prepared to make two batches.

Hi Drocell, It might not need to be Crisco, but you do need to grease the beater well or it will stick. I’ve not ever tried anything but Crisco, such as butter, but worth a try. It’s to make your life much easier :).

Hi there. I love making fondant cakes for the sheer “awe” factor of their beauty but I need help with the cake flavor itself and thought you’d be a great source. The problem I’m trying to figure out is the frosting amount . As you know, you can only use a very thin layer of frosting when your covering the cake with fondant and as far as the taste, it’s just not enough frosting. Can you share your thoughts, tips etc? I’m making a cake for a baby shower and I’d love it to fast as grab as it looks. Thanks a bunch 🙂

Haha, I gotcha Denise! 🙂 Fondant. Sigh. I feel exactly as you do about the stuff. It’s ideal for decorating because of the smooth, pliable surface. You can do anything you want with it, and it makes your cake look perfect. But I couldn’t agree with you more about the taste. I also find the frosting preferable. For that reason, I do add a thicker-than-I-should layer of frosting when covering a cake with fondant. However, if it’s at all ever possible, my preference is for the taste. So I usually frost the cake with frosting and then just make decorations on top with fondant. That way, guests can remove the fondant or eat around it more easily. Which then, of course doesn’t help ya’ much if you want to cover with fondant. I think there is just no getting around that fondant tastes like fondant. Cakes are not my specialty though. Some great sites to look at are I am baker, GloriousTreats.com, I believe Cake Central has lots and lots of tips, too. Maybe someone out there has found the secret!!

Hi Jamie,
I’ve done exactly that before when I only needed a bit. Cut the recipe in half. So 1 cup mini marshmallows, 1 T water, 1 tsp vanilla and 1/2 pound of confectioner’s sugar. There’s just under 4cups in a 1 pound box, so use a little less than 2 cups.

Thanks for sharing so much information on your site. I found your site from sweetsugarbelle.com I was wondering this if you will… I am not a huge fan of royal icing flavor, I’ve tried to tweak it to make it taste better by using almond and butter flavor instead of vanilla, and it does taste better now, but I am finding it get pretty hard. I def. like it for its drying capabilities and the fact I can stack my cookies without them getting messed up after the hours I spend to make them look like mini works of art, is there a cookie icing that may still dry like royal icing but tastes good? I do not like vanilla flavor mixed with powdered sugar, I find it tastes like perfume to me. Thanks for your help. Also I was wondering about this fondant have you tried other flavorings besides vanilla to make it taste better?

However, the “fondant dilemma” is one you, me, and tons of other people share, sigh. While I agree, it’s just so perfect for decorating, because of the texture, it’s just not popular taste-wise. And you need that texture, so as far as I know, no one has invented a fondant that is universally adored for its taste! You could certainly play with flavors and add almond extract, fruit extracts, etc., but it’s not likely to make a huge difference. For this reason, often, I don’t use fondant to totally cover my sweets. Instead, I’ll frost cakes and cupcakes with buttercream frosting (and cookies with royal icing) and then just use small pieces of fondant for the accents.